- Leaving your baby to sleep in the car seat
or capsule after you've arrived at your destination
is often quite tempting
but you might be surprised to hear
that leaving your little one asleep in a car seat
or capsule for an extended period of time,
particularly when unsupervised,
actually increases the risk of accidental suffocation,
and positional asphyxiation.
This is one of three everyday products
that a baby, particularly a newborn,
should never sleep in unsupervised
or for long periods of time
due to the increased SIDS risk.
In this video, you're going to learn about all three,
starting with car seats and capsules.
The main purpose of a car seat
is to protect infants and children
from injury and death in car accidents.
They are not designed for safe sleeping.
It may be really tempting
to leave your baby to sleep in a car seat
after the journey's finished
but it's really important to take that baby out
of the car seat or capsule
once you arrive at your destination.
Now, I know how hard this is.
The last thing you want to do
when your baby is sound asleep in a capsule
is actually wake them up and take them out.
But the reason I say this is because research has shown
that when babies are left in an upright
or slanted position,
which is the position that they are in
when they're in a car seat or a capsule,
and they're unsupervised or they're in it
for a long period of time,
they may be placed at increased risk
of Sudden Infant Death.
And there're a few reasons for this.
Firstly, when a baby is sitting in a car seat
or a capsule, the baby's neck
may actually fall forward
and put them in that chin to chest position.
And when they're in this position,
it actually blocks the baby's airways
and can lead to positional asphyxiation.
Now, parents often use pillows as a way
to counteract this
but it should be noted that these pillows
should never be placed in a car seat or a capsule
and this is because babies
can actually twist their head
into that soft padding,
which is being used to prop them up
and that can lead to suffocation,
or the pillow itself may move
or it can exaggerate that chin to chest position.
Another reason the babies are at increased risk
of sudden infant death
is because when they're in a car seat,
the extra padding in car seats,
which are required to ensure your little one's safety
in the case of a car accident
can actually increase the baby's overall body temperature
and result in overheating.
And overheating is a known risk factor
for Sudden Infant Death in infants, and SIDS.
And lastly, if you use a car seat or the capsule outside
of the car, then your baby's at risk
of falling from the car seat or capsule
or becoming trapped.
You might be thinking this is absolutely ridiculous.
I've never heard of it happening to a baby
and it's certainly never going to happen to mine.
But the US National Center
for Fatality Review and Prevention Data
from 2004 to 2014 found
that there were 11,779 infant sleep-related deaths
during that period
and of those, 348 occurred in sitting devices,
and of those 348 deaths,
62.9% actually occurred in a child car seat.
And what's really interesting is more than half,
so 51.6% of those deaths that actually occurred
in a car seat happened at the child's home.
So it definitely can happen,
and I know I was definitely surprised
and disappointed when I first learned about this.
So I just want to remind you
that this video isn't about telling you what you can
and can't do.
The purpose for this video
is for you to simply understand the risks
so that you're able to make an informed decision
about whether it's something you're happy
or comfortable doing with your little one.
If you're wondering what you should do instead,
Red Nose Australia and the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommend that once a car journey is over,
you should remove the baby from the capsule
or the infant car seat,
and if they are asleep,
you need to place them in a safe sleeping environment.
Red Nose Australia also does not recommend using capsules
which can be easily moved from the car
and used with a pram.
And the reason for this again
is your baby is still in that slanted position,
which increases the risk of positional asphyxiation.
If naps are something you are struggling with,
which is often why parents use car seats
and capsules to help the baby fall asleep,
then make sure you download
my free New Parents Guide to Naps,
which you can find by clicking the link
in the description box below.
Next up is baby bouncers, rockers,
swings and gliders.
These can be great tools for soothing a baby
and keeping them entertained while giving you a few moments
with your hands free.
However, these infant products should never be used
for infant sleep
and this is due to a number of reasons.
Firstly, when sitting in these devices,
babies are kept in an inclined position
and when the baby actually falls asleep in this position,
their head can fall forward
and that would push their chin down towards their chest,
which can lead to the baby's airways becoming obstructed
or blocked, and that results in positional asphyxiation.
It's really important to note that asphyxiation
is a silent killer.
This means that when your baby is having trouble breathing
when they are in these devices,
there are no visible signs to indicate
or warn a parent that something is wrong.
So even if you're in the same room
and keeping an eye on your baby, it can still happen
without you realizing.
Secondly, babies are also at risk
of rolling on to their tummy or their side
when they're in these devices,
and becoming trapped,
which can be a suffocation risk.
And thirdly, if your baby is spending too much time
in that bouncer, rocker, swing or glider,
the constant pressure,
which is being applied to the back of your baby's head
actually increases the risk
of your baby developing a flat spot
on the back of their head.
Again, you may be thinking,
this is an overreaction but this year in 2022,
the US Consumer Product Safety Commission informed consumers
that at least 13 reported deaths occurred
between 2009 and 2021
while infants were in the Fisher and Price
Infant-to-Toddler Rockers
and Newborn-to-Toddler Rockers.
While they specifically mention
the Fisher and Price products,
as I mentioned earlier, the risk of death
is due to the position they were in
while using these products,
and not unique to these specific products.
Basically all bouncers, rockers, swings
and gliders place babies in the same position,
which means the risk is always present
when using these types of products.
This doesn't mean that you have to eliminate them completely
but Red Nose Australia
and the Academy of Pediatrics
recommend only using baby bouncers,
rockers, swings and gliders for supervised play time.
So babies should always be carefully supervised
and restrained while they're in these types of products,
and the equipment itself should always be on the floor,
never on counter tops, tables or other elevated surfaces
due to the risk of them falling out of the devices
and sustaining significant injuries.
And if you notice that your little one is looking sleepy,
or they have fallen asleep while they're in these devices,
it's important to take them out of the device
and place them in a safe sleeping environment.
Now let's talk about weighted blankets
and weighted swaddles.
So they are often referred to as calming blankets,
sensory blankets, anxiety aids,
or support blankets.
Now, although there is some evidence
suggesting weighted products
may be beneficial to certain population groups,
there are currently no studies
that show weighted products or blankets or swaddles
are beneficial for infants.
This can often be very confusing
because advertisers often state
that studies show that weighted blankets
and sleeping sacks are safe for infants during sleep
but the evidence they're actually citing
is based on a single study,
which was published in Advances in Neonatal Care in 2020.
And in this study, the weighted blankets
were actually placed on 16 infants
in an intensive care unit
with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome
for 30 minutes at a time.
Now when the blankets were placed on these infants,
the infants themselves were actually placed
on heart rate and respiratory monitors
during that entire time,
and there was a member from the study team
who actually remained in the infant's room
and directly watched that baby
for the entire time that that weighted blanket
was being used.
And the weighted blanket itself
was only being used for 30 minutes at a time.
Now, in the home environment,
it's obviously not possible
to watch your baby the entire time
that they are sleeping.
So you cannot assume that it is actually safe
to used weighted blankets or weighted sleeping bags at home.
In fact, using weighted blankets or weighted swaddles
or sleeping bags with an infant
can actually cause harm.
And this is due three reasons.
The weight of the weighted swaddle or blanket
could actually make it difficult
for your baby to expand their chest
and take in that air,
which reduces their ability to breathe properly.
In fact, there are babies that have died
when pressure is being applied directly on
or against their chest.
Also, the additional weight
of a weighted blanket or a sleeping bag
can actually make it more difficult for the child
to roll from their tummy onto their back
if they accidentally roll onto their stomach
and we know that sleeping on one stomach,
particularly in the early stages of their life
actually significantly increases the risk of SIDS.
Also, if you are using a weighted blanket,
then the weighted blankets itself can actually cover
your baby's face and obstruct their breathing.
And lastly, because there are no safety regulations
for these products,
they are often made from heavy or thick materials
and that can increase the risk of overheating
and overheating is a known risk factor for SIDS.
So although advertisers promise weighted blankets
and swaddles or sleeping bags
can actually help your baby fall asleep quickly,
and extend the time they're asleep for,
in my opinion, it's best to stay away from them completely.
In addition to weighted blankets and swaddles,
there are several baby sleep products
that seem completely harmless
but significantly increase the risk of suffocation,
overheating, positional asphyxiation, and more.
So make sure you check out this video next
to learn exactly what these baby sleep products are,
and why you should keep them out of your baby's crib.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you next week.